Medical marijuana utilization in gynecologic cancer patients

•Medical marijuana was used by gynecologic cancer patients a median of 5.2 (range 0.6–25.4) months.•The most common indications for medical marijuana use were pain, nausea/vomiting, anorexia and insomnia.•Medical marijuana relieved at least one cancer- or treatment-related symptom in 71% of patients...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Gynecologic oncology reports 2021-08, Vol.37, p.100820, Article 100820
Main Authors: Fehniger, Julia, Brodsky, Allison L., Kim, Arum, Pothuri, Bhavana
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cannabis
Case Reports and Case Series
Gynecologic cancer
Management of treatment-related toxicity
Medical marijuana
Symptom control
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Summary:•Medical marijuana was used by gynecologic cancer patients a median of 5.2 (range 0.6–25.4) months.•The most common indications for medical marijuana use were pain, nausea/vomiting, anorexia and insomnia.•Medical marijuana relieved at least one cancer- or treatment-related symptom in 71% of patients.•Only 15% of patients discontinued medical marijuana secondary to side effects. Medical marijuana (MM) use is common among cancer patients, but relatively little is known about the usage patterns and efficacy of MM used by gynecologic cancer patients. Demographic and clinical data were collected for gynecologic cancer patients prescribed MM between May 2016 and February 2019. The electronic medical record was used to query formulation prescribed, usage patterns, length of use, symptom relief, and side effect profile. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Of 45 gynecologic cancer patients prescribed MM, 89% were receiving chemotherapy; 56% were undergoing primary treatment. MM was used for a median of 5.2 months (range 0.6–25.4). Over 70% of patients reported improvement in nausea/vomiting, compared to 36% of patients using MM for pain relief (p = 0.02). Of 41 patients with follow-up information, 71% found MM improved at least one symptom. Among a small sample of gynecologic cancer patients prescribed MM for symptom management, self-reported follow-up indicated symptom relief for the majority of patients and minimal therapy-related side effects. This data can prove useful for counseling gynecologic cancer patients on the efficacy and side effects of MM.
ISSN:2352-5789
2352-5789
DOI:10.1016/j.gore.2021.100820